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God Will Punish Judah and Jerusalem

·Understand this [L Look/T Behold now]:
The Lord God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts]
·will [or is about to] take away ·everything [L every support and supply] Judah and Jerusalem need—
    all [L supplies of] the food and water,
the ·heroes [mighty ones] and ·great soldiers [men of war],
    the judges and prophets,
·people who do magic [diviners; fortune-tellers] and elders,
the ·military leaders [L captain/ruler of fifty] and ·government leaders [people of influence/high standing],
    the ·counselors [advisers], the skilled ·craftsmen [or magicians], and ·those who try to tell the future [skillful enchanters/astrologers].
The Lord says, “I will cause ·young boys [youths] to be your ·leaders [rulers; princes],
    and ·foolish children [or capricious youths] will rule over you [Eccl. 10:5–7, 17].
People will ·be against [oppress] each other; everyone will be against his neighbor.
    Young people will ·not respect [arrogantly defy] older people,
    and ·common people [the despised/dishonorable] will not respect ·important people [the honorable].”
At that time a man will grab one of his brothers
    ·from his own family [L in his father’s house] and say,
“You have a ·coat [cloak; C a sign of a little wealth], so you will be our leader.
    These ruins will be under your ·control [charge; rule; L hand].”
·But [L In that day] that brother will ·stand up [or cry out] and say,
    “I ·cannot help you [L am no binder (of wounds)],
because I do not have food or ·clothes [cloak] in my house.
    You will not make me ·your leader [L leader of the people/nation].”
This will happen because Jerusalem has stumbled,
    and Judah has fallen.
The things they say and do are against the Lord;
    they ·turn against [rebel against; defy] ·him [L his glory/glorious presence].
The look on their faces ·shows they are guilty [testifies against them];
    like the people of Sodom [Gen. 18–19], they ·are proud of [flaunt; parade; declare] their sin.
    They don’t ·care who sees [conceal; hide] it.
·How terrible it will be for them [L Woe to their soul],
    because they have brought ·much trouble [disaster; evil] on themselves.

10 Tell ·those who do what is right [the righteous] that things will go well for them,
    because they will ·receive a reward for what they do [L eat the fruit of their actions].
11 ·But how terrible it will be for [L Woe to] the wicked!
    ·They will be punished for all the wrong they have done [L Because the reward/recompense of his hands will be done to him].
12 Children ·treat my people cruelly [oppress my people],
    and ·women [or creditors; usurers] rule over them.
My people, your guides lead you ·in the wrong way [astray]
    and ·turn you away [mislead you; or confuse you] from ·what is right [the right road; L your paths].

13 The Lord takes his place ·in court [to judge/contend]
    and stands to judge the people.
14 The Lord ·presents his case [or comes forward to pronounce judgment]
    against the elders and other ·leaders [rulers; princes] of his people:
“You have ·burned [ruined; ravaged] the vineyard.
    ·Your houses are full of [L In your houses are] what you ·took [stole; plundered] from the poor.
15 What gives you the right to crush my people
    and grind the faces of the ·poor into the dirt [L poor]?”
The Lord God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says this.

A Warning to Women of Jerusalem

16 The Lord says,
    “The ·women of Jerusalem [L daughters of Zion] are ·proud [haughty; arrogant].
They walk around with ·their heads held high [L an outstretched neck],
    and they flirt with their eyes.
·They take quick, short steps […prancing/mincing along],
    ·making noise with their ankle bracelets [L jingling with their feet].”
17 So the Lord will put ·sores [scabs; skin lesions] on the heads of those ·women in Jerusalem [L daughters of Zion],
    and he will ·make them lose their hair [lay bare/make bald their forehead].

18 ·At that time [L In that day] the Lord will take away ·everything that makes them proud [their beauty/glory]: their beautiful ankle bracelets, their headbands, their ·necklaces shaped like the moon [L crescents], 19 their ·earrings [or pendants], bracelets, and veils, 20 their ·scarves [headdresses], ·ankle chains [or armlets], the ·cloth belts worn around their waists [sashes], their ·bottles of perfume [sachets], and ·charms [amulets], 21 their signet rings, nose rings, 22 their ·fine robes [festal robes; fine gowns], capes, ·shawls [cloaks], and purses, 23 their mirrors, linen ·dresses [garments; undergarments], ·turbans [or tiaras], and ·long shawls [or flowing veils].

24 Instead of ·wearing sweet-smelling perfume [spice; fragrance], ·they will stink [there will be stench/decay].
    Instead of ·fine cloth belts [a sash], ·they will wear the ropes of captives [L a rope].
Instead of ·having their hair fixed in fancy ways [an elegant coiffure], ·they will be bald [baldness].
    Instead of ·fine clothes [an expensive robe], ·they will wear clothes of sadness [burlap; sackcloth].
    ·Instead of being beautiful, they will wear the brand of a captive [L Branding instead of beauty].
25 At that time your men will ·be killed with swords [L fall by the sword],
    and your ·heroes [mighty/strong ones] will die in war.
26 ·There will be crying and sadness near the city gates [L Her gates will lament and mourn].
    ·Jerusalem will be like a woman who has lost everything and sits on the ground [L Deserted/Destitute, she will sit on the ground].

¶ For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of the hosts, takes away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread and the whole stay of water,

the mighty man and the man of war, the judge and the prophet, the fortune-teller and the ancient,

the captain of fifty and the honourable man and the counsellor and the cunning artificer and the eloquent wise man.

And I will give children to be their princes, and young fools shall rule over them.

And the people shall do violence, one against another, and each one against his neighbour; the child shall rise up against the ancient and the base against the honourable.

When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father, saying, Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and let this ruin be under thy hand;

in that day he shall swear, saying, I will not be a healer for in my house is neither bread nor clothing: do not make me a ruler of the people.

For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen because their tongue and their doings have been against the LORD, to irritate the eyes of his majesty.

¶ The appearance of their countenance witnesses against them, and they declare their sin as Sodom; they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! For they have rewarded evil unto themselves.

10 Say unto the righteous that it shall be well with him, for they shall eat of the fruit of their doings.

11 Woe unto the wicked! It shall be ill with him, for according to the work of his hands it shall be done unto him.

12 The oppressors of my people are many, and women rule over him. O my people, those who lead thee cause thee to err and twist the way of thy paths.

13 The LORD stands up to litigate and is present to judge the peoples.

14 The LORD will come with judgment against the elders of his people and against these his princes, for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses.

15 What do you mean that ye beat my people to pieces and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord GOD of the hosts.

16 ¶ Moreover the LORD saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and swaggering as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet:

17 Therefore the Lord will make bare the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will uncover that which they are ashamed of.

18 In that day the Lord will take away the adornment of their shoes and their hair nets and their crystals,

19 the chains and the jewels and the bracelets,

20 the bonnets and the ornaments of the legs and the headbands and the powders and the earrings,

21 the rings, and nose jewels,

22 the changeable suits of apparel and the mantles and the veils and the crisping pins,

23 the looking glasses and the fine linen and the hoods and the hairdos.

24 And it shall come to pass that instead of sweet perfumes, there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent and instead of well-set hair baldness and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth and burning instead of beauty.

25 Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war.

26 Thy gates shall lament and mourn, and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground.